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Takahashi pearl stud help

TOinTX

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2023
Messages
8
Hi!

First time buyer here.

Which one should I buy? Takahashi showed me
9.0-9.5mm gem grade
8.5mm-9mm gem grade
9.0-9.5mm with some blemish

I am not sure when she says blemish how much blemish is visible since I don't see any blemish on the photo... also the price between 8.5-9 and 9-9.5is very significant I wonder if it's worth the price.

Which one of these is your favorite? Any thoughts? Also their setting seems to be little overpriced for super simple design. I hope it's thick and well though.

And when it comes to blemish, if blemish is back side, I think it doesn't matter since I'm making earrings out of these .... any thoughts? Has anyone bought gem grade w/ small spot?

Thanks
 

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pearlsngems

Ideal_Rock
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Of all those I most like the color, luster and matching of the top pair of 8.5-9mm.
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Hi!

First time buyer here.
Are these for stud earrings or dangles?

Which one should I buy? Takahashi showed me
9.0-9.5mm gem grade
8.5mm-9mm gem grade
9.0-9.5mm with some blemish
What does Takahashi say about the luster of the “some blemish” pair, compared to the two gem grade pairs?

I am not sure when she says blemish how much blemish is visible since I don't see any blemish on the photo... also the price between 8.5-9 and 9-9.5is very significant I wonder if it's worth the price.
Ask where the blemishing is.

They have very high standards for what they will call “clear”/“clean”/“unblemished”. A fishbite at the back that will be covered by a stud mount cup (but that cannot be drilled through, so is present on the pearl post-drilling) is “blemished” by their standards.

So you’ll just have to ask about the blemishing.

Which one of these is your favorite? Any thoughts?
Top pair of 8.5-9 for me as well. Same as @pearlsngems. Second choice is 59870.

Also their setting seems to be little overpriced for super simple design. I hope it's thick and well though.
Their mounts aren’t cheap, no. They’re nice though. Solidy built and nicely finished. I think their pricing is fair for the quality by US standards - not a steal of a deal but not excessive either. You can certainly get more inexpensive mounts in the US - but they’ll be of lower quality, lighter/thinner/less cleanly finished. For the same quality you’d pay about the same here in the US.

Don’t know how that compares to wherever you might be based, if not the US.

And when it comes to blemish, if blemish is back side, I think it doesn't matter since I'm making earrings out of these .... any thoughts? Has anyone bought gem grade w/ small spot?

Thanks
Yes, I have. Blemishing that will be covered by the mount isn’t something that I care about personally. I do appreciate their honesty about these sorts of blemishes anyway, though!
 

TOinTX

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2023
Messages
8
Are these for stud earrings or dangles?


What does Takahashi say about the luster of the “some blemish” pair, compared to the two gem grade pairs?


Ask where the blemishing is.

They have very high standards for what they will call “clear”/“clean”/“unblemished”. A fishbite at the back that will be covered by a stud mount cup (but that cannot be drilled through, so is present on the pearl post-drilling) is “blemished” by their standards.

So you’ll just have to ask about the blemishing.


Top pair of 8.5-9 for me as well. Same as @pearlsngems. Second choice is 59870.


Their mounts aren’t cheap, no. They’re nice though. Solidy built and nicely finished. I think their pricing is fair for the quality by US standards - not a steal of a deal but not excessive either. You can certainly get more inexpensive mounts in the US - but they’ll be of lower quality, lighter/thinner/less cleanly finished. For the same quality you’d pay about the same here in the US.

Don’t know how that compares to wherever you might be based, if not the US.


Yes, I have. Blemishing that will be covered by the mount isn’t something that I care about personally. I do appreciate their honesty about these sorts of blemishes anyway, though!

Thank you so much! I'm so glad I have asked here! I enjoyed reading all of your comments/ posts about takahashi... before reaching out to them. I had no idea/still have no idea which one has a good luster ! I don't care if the blemish is hidden by earrings mount too. They were pretty brief with their reply, so I wasn't sure if I was bothering them too much considering I'm buying a rather inexpensive stuff from them as a first time buyer.

If buying from the 9.0-9.5 w/ blemish one which would be your favorite? Would you consider them gem quality from the photo?
 

TOinTX

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2023
Messages
8
Oh and they are for studs. I'd like them 10mm + but . . Then it will be too expensive haha ....
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Thank you so much! I'm so glad I have asked here! I enjoyed reading all of your comments/ posts about takahashi... before reaching out to them. I had no idea/still have no idea which one has a good luster ! I don't care if the blemish is hidden by earrings mount too. They were pretty brief with their reply, so I wasn't sure if I was bothering them too much considering I'm buying a rather inexpensive stuff from them as a first time buyer.

If buying from the 9.0-9.5 w/ blemish one which would be your favorite? Would you consider them gem quality from the photo?

Totally reasonable to ask about where the blemishing is, and which pair they feel is most lustrous in-person, no worries there.

One of the 9-9.5 cards has one pair. Is this the gem quality pair?
The other 9-9.5 card has three pairs. Are these the "some blemishing" options?
 

TOinTX

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2023
Messages
8
Totally reasonable to ask about where the blemishing is, and which pair they feel is most lustrous in-person, no worries there.

One of the 9-9.5 cards has one pair. Is this the gem quality pair?
The other 9-9.5 card has three pairs. Are these the "some blemishing" options?

Yes... the one with just 1 pair (9-9.5) is gem without blemish

9-9.5mm has 'small blemishes) gem options

8.5-9mm gem without blemish.

I'd definitely ask for sure! Among 9-9.5mm which ones would you pick? (Including no blemish options)
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
27,242
Let me ask this before I make any suggestions: Is the no-blemish 9-9.5 pair in-budget, if you really like it? Or should we just remove that one as more than you're comfy spending?
 

TOinTX

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2023
Messages
8
Let me ask this before I make any suggestions: Is the no-blemish 9-9.5 pair in-budget, if you really like it? Or should we just remove that one as more than you're comfy

You are so amazing! Honestly, I thought everyone would pick 9-9.5mm gem one as I thought it was the best , but with my surprise, everyone chose 8.5-9mm and that Is very reasonably priced..... unless it's so superior and obvious, I prefer to choose from 9-9.5mm with small blemish ones. I also wonder what is your opinion on this? This is not from takahashi but this vendor frequently has very large pearl in reasonable price so I was just wondering Screenshot_20230209_135217_Instagram.jpg
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Messages
27,242
Okay! Here's what I'd do.

1. Eliminate this pair. Contrast (luster) mismatch is clear, that will be noticeable IRL. (See how the camera is so much more black in the right pearl?) You can do better.
screenshot_20230209_135217_instagram-jpg.923244



2. Remove the Takahashi bottom-most pair of blemished 9-9.5. The colour difference is larger than the other options, no need to settle.

3. Ask Takahashi to put the gem 9-9.5 pair onto the same card as top+middle blemished 9-9.5, and photograph this for you. (Impossible to compare gem vs. blemished right now because the colour in those two photos is really different.)

4. Ask Takahashi about the severity of blemishing on top+middle blemished 9-9.5 options.

5. Eliminate both 8.5-9 pairs. If you want the 9-9.5 size, and you can swing for it right now, and you buy smaller, then you'll always wish they were bigger... And you'll probably eventually end up buying bigger anyway. Which is a waste of money. Trust me LOL.
 

TOinTX

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2023
Messages
8
Okay! Here's what I'd do.

1. Eliminate this pair. Contrast (luster) mismatch is clear, that will be noticeable IRL. (See how the camera is so much more black in the right pearl?) You can do better. There's a slight colour difference too, but that's much less objectionable than the contrast diff.
screenshot_20230209_135217_instagram-jpg.923244



2. Remove the Takahashi bottom-most pair of blemished 9-9.5. The colour difference is larger than the other options, no need to settle.

3. Ask Takahashi to put the gem 9-9.5 pair onto the same card as top+middle blemished 9-9.5, and photograph this for you. (Impossible to compare gem vs. blemished right now because the colour in those two photos is really different.)

4. Ask Takahashi about the severity of blemishing on top+middle blemished 9-9.5 options.

5. Eliminate both 8.5-9 pairs. If you want the 9-9.5 size, and you can swing for it right now, and you buy smaller, then you'll always wish they were bigger... And you'll probably eventually end up buying bigger anyway. Which is a waste of money. Trust me LOL.

You are amazing. Thank you so much!!
 

TOinTX

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2023
Messages
8
Okay! Here's what I'd do.

1. Eliminate this pair. Contrast (luster) mismatch is clear, that will be noticeable IRL. (See how the camera is so much more black in the right pearl?) You can do better.
screenshot_20230209_135217_instagram-jpg.923244



2. Remove the Takahashi bottom-most pair of blemished 9-9.5. The colour difference is larger than the other options, no need to settle.

3. Ask Takahashi to put the gem 9-9.5 pair onto the same card as top+middle blemished 9-9.5, and photograph this for you. (Impossible to compare gem vs. blemished right now because the colour in those two photos is really different.)

4. Ask Takahashi about the severity of blemishing on top+middle blemished 9-9.5 options.

5. Eliminate both 8.5-9 pairs. If you want the 9-9.5 size, and you can swing for it right now, and you buy smaller, then you'll always wish they were bigger... And you'll probably eventually end up buying bigger anyway. Which is a waste of money. Trust me LOL.
Here I got new photo from Takahashi. The top one is the most expensive one. (W / no flaw) Takashi said the flaws of blemish of these others aren't really blemish but off round that is almost individual and very minimum wrinkle. What do ya'll think? Takahashi also said the top one has the best luster. Would thar be too apparent irl? If we were to choose among those bottom 3, what would you choose? Is luster difference too obvious?

Ohh and I also would like to know how long those strong luster would last. I know pearl lost their luster over time. I know it depends on case by case but you know with proper care, in general ...


IMG_20230210_081334_018.jpg
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 14, 2009
Messages
27,242
Whoa. So glad you got this updated photo!

The difference between the top pair and the others is kind of startling! That top pair is visibly nicer than the others. More contrasty and sharper reflections - everything good about akoya pearls, that pair has more of than the others. I like the colour best too, pink and silver, but colour is a very personal thing.

My second choice would be the top pair of the “blemished”/off round set. But… It’s not a super close second, honestly the gem pair is just very clearly superior…

I don’t know what the pricing differential is here but I would def expect the gem pair to be more. Non-trivially more. Because of both the roundness and the luster improvement - luster is one of the most expensive “traits” (once you’ve got shape and size locked down).
 

pearlsngems

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Messages
2,789
Studs, not being in direct contact with skin, won't lose luster over time the way necklaces and bracelets do, unless you are someone who plays with her earrings a lot.

I agree with yssie about the superior luster of the top pair. The top pair of the "blemished" pearls would be my second choice. The 2nd blemished pair are too pink for my taste and the bottom pair are mismatched in color.
 

love_pearls

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 8, 2022
Messages
186
When you have the gem graded studs, you need to be careful when raining, it’s better to take them off because pearls are very sensitive.

I noticed the slight change of lustre in my top grade quality pearl studs, it’s not something we can avoid.

If pearls losing lustre over time is something that you mind, it’s better to stick to quality pearls instead of gem grade pearls.

After close inspection of my pearls studs, I slightly gear towards purchasing pave diamonds ear studs from my fav brand VCA instead of a pearl strand.

I still love my pearl studs and wear them. Probably my pair is a work horse (I wear them every day) and they deteriorate faster than I expected. It’s still very shiny but not as shiny as I first got them.
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 14, 2009
Messages
27,242
When you have the gem graded studs, you need to be careful when raining, it’s better to take them off because pearls are very sensitive.

I noticed the slight change of lustre in my top grade quality pearl studs, it’s not something we can avoid.

If pearls losing lustre over time is something that you mind, it’s better to stick to quality pearls instead of gem grade pearls.

After close inspection of my pearls studs, I slightly gear towards purchasing pave diamonds ear studs from my fav brand VCA instead of a pearl strand.

I still love my pearl studs and wear them. Probably my pair is a work horse (I wear them every day) and they deteriorate faster than I expected. It’s still very shiny but not as shiny as I first got them.

I’m shocked to read this. Can you explain more about what differences you see? Your high-grade studs should 100% not be losing their luster organically - not for many years. Like, decades. Unless perhaps hair products or perfumes are creating an especially inhospitable environment for the nacre? Or, if you sleep in them, maybe what you’re seeing is fine scratching from your sheets and pillowcases.

Can you wash your pearls well in lukewarm water with a touch of dish soap, and dry them off, and see if you feel the original luster returns? That should remove any temporary oils or products that may be coating them right now.

If these are your Mikimoto studs and after washing them you still feel they’re not where they were originally I would say definitely take them in and have your SA look at them.
 
Last edited:

pearlsngems

Ideal_Rock
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2,789
But maybe use a milder soap than dish soap? Dish soap often contains ammonia.
 

love_pearls

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 8, 2022
Messages
186
I’m shocked to read this. Can you explain more about what differences you see? Your high-grade studs should 100% not be losing their luster organically - not for many years. Like, decades. Unless perhaps hair products or perfumes are creating an especially inhospitable environment for the nacre? Or, if you sleep in them, maybe what you’re seeing is fine scratching from your sheets and pillowcases.

Can you wash your pearls well in lukewarm water with a touch of dish soap, and dry them off, and see if you feel the original luster returns? That should remove any temporary oils or products that may be coating them right now.

If these are your Mikimoto studs and after washing them you still feel they’re not where they were originally I would say definitely take them in and have your SA look at them.

Hello, thank you for asking.

The difference is very minor and it does not sound an alarm. I was travelling in Japan and one evening, it was raining and I had no umbrella, I guess some rains got on the surface of my studs and then the other day it was foggy in the bamboo forest and I guess the fog also had some effect on pearls. I forgot to use water to wipe them but I did use cleaning cloth to wipe off some dirts.

Probably I am being too picky because I notice every little details. They are still very shiny and all and catch people’s attention because I noticed they were staring at my pearl studs.

I don’t think it’s a defect of product rather, it’s the situation I encountered.

There’s a difference between bright shine and golden shine, it seems like new pearl got bright white shine while pearls that are worn often got golden shine. I noticed this after trying on the miki pearl strand that has been tried on for many times (I think it’s a display piece because the clasp had scratches) while the pearl strand in Tasaki in Tokyo got taken out of the packaging new and fresh got this white bright shine when I put it on.

That’s why I would rather wait and get the Tasaki one than the miki one because if it turns golden after years of wears, I want it to be caused by me .
 

love_pearls

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 8, 2022
Messages
186
I’m shocked to read this. Can you explain more about what differences you see? Your high-grade studs should 100% not be losing their luster organically - not for many years. Like, decades. Unless perhaps hair products or perfumes are creating an especially inhospitable environment for the nacre? Or, if you sleep in them, maybe what you’re seeing is fine scratching from your sheets and pillowcases.

Can you wash your pearls well in lukewarm water with a touch of dish soap, and dry them off, and see if you feel the original luster returns? That should remove any temporary oils or products that may be coating them right now.

If these are your Mikimoto studs and after washing them you still feel they’re not where they were originally I would say definitely take them in and have your SA look at

I guess I was trying to talk myself out of the mikimoto strand because I noticed some omens just when I am about to make the decision to pull the trigger.

The Tasaki strand just feels right. I better ask my SA to hold that for me or see if they can ship it to me after full payment.

The brand or the names of brands really doesn’t matter at this point, I remember how I felt the moment the Tasaki strand was on my neck.

I am so glad that I had taken time to think through the purchase just like how you guys suggested here.
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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I found this site that shows pH of rain in Japan in 2020:

I can’t find the exact map I saw once for pH of rain in the US, but I’m pretty sure where I am (NY and MD) is right around the same. Maybe a touch more acidic. But unless you’re soaking pearls in rainwater for a long time - an oops I forgot an umbrella situation won’t cause true damage thankfully!!

I’ve definitely seen that older pearls will yellow. I reckon we can do everything possible to avoid early onset… But eventually all nacre is going to dry out. Higher quality pearls, tighter nacre, careful and regular use, safe storage - I have to believe those will push the inevitable off for a good long time. I mean, they’d better :lol:

I remember how I felt the moment the Tasaki strand was on my neck.
And this IS what matters most, over absolutely everything else ❤️ Congratulations on finding out what’s going to make you feel happiest!! :love:


@TOinTX thank you for humouring the small thread detour!
 

love_pearls

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 8, 2022
Messages
186
I found this site that shows pH of rain in Japan in 2020:

I can’t find the exact map I saw once for pH of rain in the US, but I’m pretty sure where I am (NY and MD) is right around the same. Maybe a touch more acidic. But unless you’re soaking pearls in rainwater for a long time - an oops I forgot an umbrella situation won’t cause true damage thankfully!!

I’ve definitely seen that older pearls will yellow. I reckon we can do everything possible to avoid early onset… But eventually all nacre is going to dry out. Higher quality pearls, tighter nacre, careful and regular use, safe storage - I have to believe those will push the inevitable off for a good long time. I mean, they’d better :lol:


And this IS what matters most, over absolutely everything else ❤️ Congratulations on finding out what’s going to make you feel happiest!! :love:


@TOinTX thank you for humouring the small thread detour!

My job involves the getting in touch with calcite so I’m not sure if that affects pearls or not but I will keep wearing my pearl studs anyway.
 

yssie

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Aug 14, 2009
Messages
27,242
My job involves the getting in touch with calcite so I’m not sure if that affects pearls or not but I will keep wearing my pearl studs anyway.

Yeah. I’m super happy for you!!

I think it can actually be really *hard* to… Be super honest with yourself about where your own personal balance for branding and well-it-just-makes-me-smile is. It’s hard for me sometimes anyway. I’ve gotten caught up in both “Branded is better” and “This brand is better than that brand” and “I can do better than branded, custom is better”. And I like sets of things… Which I know is something you do too… Can be hard to not want to collect a matched set for the sake of having the set even if some pieces don’t create real joy on their own…

Anyway! I’m glad you’re wearing your pearls and enjoying them, and that you’ve found your happy place of balance :bigsmile:
 

love_pearls

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 8, 2022
Messages
186
Yeah. I’m super happy for you!!

I think it can actually be really *hard* to… Be super honest with yourself about where your own personal balance for branding and well-it-just-makes-me-smile is. It’s hard for me sometimes anyway. I’ve gotten caught up in both “Branded is better” and “This brand is better than that brand” and “I can do better than branded, custom is better”. And I like sets of things… Which I know is something you do too… Can be hard to not want to collect a matched set for the sake of having the set even if some pieces don’t create real joy on their own…

Anyway! I’m glad you’re wearing your pearls and enjoying them, and that you’ve found your happy place of balance :bigsmile:

Right now I am not in a hurry to buy the pearl strand. Who knows if I would go for miki or tasaki in the end?

I just would like to buy a strand that is not a display piece and Tasaki seems to be able to deliver that.

I have booked everything for my trip to Netherlands and the accommodation fee is super expensive in the city centre so I have to postpone the purchase.

I just would like to travel and take more pictures when I still have some youth left in me.
 
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